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Thermal Scan of Egyptian Pyramids Reveals Mysterious Anomaly in the Great Pyramid

Scientists looking to uncover hidden chambers and other ancient secrets of the Egyptian pyramids for the first time using powerful scanning technology, have detected an ‘impressive’ anomaly within the Great Pyramid of Egypt, which could indicate something hidden behind the ancient walls. The Egyptian Ministry has announced that they have several hypotheses, but will conduct more research before revealing them.

Researchers from Egypt, Canada, France and Japan started scanning the internal workings of four pyramids in Egypt, using advanced infrared technology and cosmic rays as part of an international project named Scan Pyramids , which aims to delve into the deepest recesses of the pyramids. So far, a number of anomalies in the heat signatures of the pyramids have been detected, but the Ministry of Antiquities announced one “particularly impressive one located on the Eastern side of the Khufu (Cheops) pyramid at ground level”.

"There is something like a small passage in the ground that you can see, leading up to the pyramids ground, reaching an area with a different temperature,” Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said in a press statement. “What will be behind it?"

Thermal mapping of the pyramids using infrared thermography is designed to identify any voids behind the pyramid walls, such as cavities, chambers, passages, or different types of construction materials, while cosmic-ray muons radiography detect unknown structures in the ancient monuments.

Discovery News reports that the Great Pyramid showed striking thermal differences. While temperature differences between two adjacent stones from limestone usually ranges from 0.1 to 0.5 degrees, the variation between blocks on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid is 6.0 degrees.

Several thermal anomalies were observed on all monuments, but one, particularly impressive one, was detected on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid, also known as Khufu or Cheops, at the ground level. Credit: Philippe Bourseiller / HIP Institute, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo / Ministry of Antiquities.

At this stage, the research team is not revealing their hypotheses about the anomaly until further research is conducted.

Egyptologist Beth Ann Judas said that the eastern side of the Great Pyramid, where the anomaly was found, was the focal point of the pyramid, with several major temples and tombs located on that side. "The Nile was to the east of the pyramid, and most everyone would have approached from the east," she said [via Huffington Post ]. "Pyramids also have a connection to the solar aspect, and the cult of the god Ra, in ancient Egyptian religion."

Tayoubi said that the next stage of investigations will involve building models and thermal simulations to test out different theories. The Scan Pyramids project is scheduled to last over a year, and will involve long term infrared survey of four pyramids – Khufu and Khafre at Giza, and the Bent pyramid and Red pyramid at Dahshur.

Featured image: Scanning of the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Credit: Philippe Bourseiller / HIP Institute, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo / Ministry of Antiquities.

April Holloway

Is a Co-Owner Editor and Writer of Ancient-Origins She is also a guest writer on Epoch Times and iSpectrum Magazine She completed a Bachelor of Science Psychology degree and published research in the field of Educational Psychology She has has... Read More

Comments

Anybody know if anyone has ever tried using ground penetrating radar on the pyramids to look for voids? I would think they could use this although it might only be viable up to a certain depth. I would also think that if you set up something that would provide a smooth surface on the side of the pyramid, you could then just slide the GPR down the side of the pyramid.

I believe the pyramids at Giza were built long before the Egyptians came to that land. Historians try to explain them as burial chambers even though no evidence supports such claims. They also try to claim the "bent" and "step" pyramids were first attempts at constructing that culminated in the three large edifices on the plateau. This is a blatant lie. No one seems to explain how the structures suddenly appeared in the Forth Dynasty (26133-2498 BCE ) but the builders had no idea how to build them in the Third Dynasty, then completely lost the art again in the Fifth! Actually, the structures were found buried beneath the sands during the Fourth Dynasty! Egyptian Kings then claimed them as burial chambers and attempted to build more but failed, resulting the step and bent ones. These were the last efforts, not the first

From my research I have concluded several aspects of the pyramids that indicate the largest has some features that embrace lost technologies. Several scientist have suggested the largest structure, having closed channels below the base, may have utilized water from tidal forces produced by the Nile. What the resulting forces or energies are anyone can only guess at. Another oddity, the eastern slope is not flat, but angles inward at the center axis. This suggest a focusing of radiation, presumably, light. At one time the pyramid was covered in white wash consisting of quartz and formica. This would have made the structure reflect the sun when directly overhead, to the horizon. The slight angling would intensify this effect. It is also said that the capstone was covered in gold. One observing this would see a what appears as a fiery monument, all the way to the horizon. Perhaps this why it is called a pyramid, Pry=fire, amid=amidst

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